Control devices



V. MASON CONTROL DEVICES May 7, 1957 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Filed March 1, 1954 INVENTOR. VET? MflsoA/ ATTORNEY May 7, 1957 v. MASON CONTROL DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1, 1954 P Q my a w m 6 r w a M a j.

M) a H 4 a 5 a a J. 6 g a!) 7 5 we T M m M 4M ,w 3 im 5% 5 2 /Z [7 A 52/ V W lllllly INVENTOR. 1 5 774 M050 HTTOENEY Patented May 7, 1957 CONTROL DEVICES Veta Mason, Preakness, N. J.

Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,146

2 Claims. (Cl. 138-45) My invention relates to control devices and more par ticularly to control devices for use in refrigerating systems for regulating the passage of fluids therethrough, some prior art devices being exemplified in U. S. Patents Nos. 114,981; 2,387,660; 2,518,625; 2,535,310; 2,576,808; 2,590,215 and 2,627,894.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a control device equipped with a flexible or pliable hollow flow regulating member having a bore through which the refrigerant or fluid passes together with actuating means for constricting the bore in a manner to regulate the flow of fluid therethrough and thus obtain a rate of flow to accord with a preestablished factor or condition.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the foregoing described character wherein the regulating member is so constructed and arranged as to preclude clogging thereof and the adherence of foreign matter or film to the surface of the bore.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the foregoing described character wherein the actuating means is operated either manually or automatically.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the foregoing described character which is so constructed and arranged whereby the device may be readily substituted for others in established systems with out material modification.

An important object of my invention is to provide a device of the foregoing described character which is simple in construction, durable in use, eflicient in operation and economical invrnanufactur'e.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a control device constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a disassembled perspective view of a portion of the outlet pipe and the regulating member.

Figures 4 and 5 are longitudinal sectional views of modified forms of the invention, respectively.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

In practicing my invention, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, 1 provide a hollow cylindrical housing 5 having interiorly threaded ends in which are threaded diametrical reduced portions 6 of end walls or plugs 7. Gaskets 8 are sleeved on the portions 6 and thus interposed between the ends of the housing and the plugs for sealing the ends and the plugs together against leakage. The plugs 7 are formed with central openings in which are threaded the ends of pipes 9 and 10 constituting, in the present instance, inlet and outlet pipes, respectively. The pipes 9 and 10 are adapted to be connected within a refrigerating or other system in which the device is utilized, the refrigerant or fluid in the system flowing from the pipe 9 into the pipe 10 through the housing 5, as hereinafter disclosed.

A relatively narrow bar or plate 12 is disposed lengthwise within the lower zone of the housing 5 and secured in spaced relation with the peripheral wall thereof by means of a screw 13 threaded through an opening 13a formed in said wall. One end of the plate 12, adjacent the pipe 10, has secured therein the threaded ends of a pair of screws 14 and 15, respectively. The opposite ends of the screws 14 and 15 extend loosely through openings formed in one end of a pressure plate or bar 16, the heads of the screws overlying the bar for maintaining the latter in connected relation therewith. The opposite end of the bar 16, superjacent the screw 13, is provided with a head 17 for a purpose hereinafter made apparent. Sleeved about the screws 14 and 15, between the plate 12 and the bar 16, are coil springs 13 which function to urge the bar away from the plate 12 above the head 17. The housing 5 is formed with a threaded opening 18a in which is threaded a sleeve 19, in turn, having adjustably threaded therein a set-screw 20 which extends out of the sleeve within the housing and engages the bar 16 to limit the movement thereof by the springs 18.

The end of the pipe 9 is coniform as at 21 and formed with a nipple 22 of a relatively small diameter which is secured within one end of the bore 23 of a flexible or pliable hollow flow-regulating cylindriform member or tube 24 constructed of suitable material, for instance, neoprene. The opposite end of the bore 23 constitutes the outlet end of the member 24 and is disposed between the plate 12 and the head 17 of the bar 16, as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. By adjusting the set-screw 20, within the sleeve 19, the height of the bar 16 relative to the plate 12 is regulated to constrict the outlet end of the member 24 and thereby regulate the flow of fluid therethrough from the pipe 9 to the pipe 10, the fluid passing out of the member 24 into the housing 5 and thence into the pipe 10. The sleeve 19 is provided with a dust cap 25 to preclude accumulation of foreign matter within the sleeve above the screw 20. a

In the form of my invention disclosed in Figure 4 of the drawings, a single screw 30 connects one end of the bar 16 to the plate 12 in lieu of the pair of screws disclosed in Figure 1 to enable the screw 30 to serve as a guide for the bar 16 whereby the head 17 may shift towards and from the plate 12 to constrict the bore of the member 24 at its outlet end. A thermostatic device 31 is threaded within an opening 31a formed in the housing'and engages the bar 16, as at 32, adjacent the screw 30, to effect movement of the head 17 relative to the plate 12 in response to temperature changes without the housing. A set-screw 33 is adjustably threaded Within the opening 18a of the housing and engages the upper end of a coil spring 34 extending into the lower zone of the opening 18a. The lower end of the spring 34 engages the bar 16 above the head 17 and coacts with the spring 18 to sensitize movement of the bar 16 for precisional adjustment relative to the plate 12, the outlet end of the member 24 being disposed between the plate 12 and the head 17 forcompression or expansion by the latter upon operation of the device 31.

in the form of the invention disclosed in Figures 5 and 6, fluid pressure means is employed for regulating the flow of fluid from the pipe 9 to the pipe 10. In this construction, the pipe 10 has also connected to its inner end a nipple 40 similar to the nipple 22 of the pipe 9, the nipples 22 and 40 being disposed within the inlet and outlet ends of a substantially rigid metallic tube or conduit 41, respectively. The tube 41 is provided, intermediate its ends, with a partition orplug 42 serving as a barrier to preclude direct passage of fluid through the bore of the tube from one endto the other. The ends of the peripherial wall of the tube 41 are perforated as at 43 to permit fluid from the pipe 9 to by-pass the partition 42 and flow into the pipe 10 by discharging and entering through the perforations 43 at the ends of the tube 41, respectively. In order to control the fiow of the fluid, the tube 41 is encased within a member 44 of a similar construction as the member 24, the member 44 being secured in sealed relation about the ends of the tube 41 by means of clamping rings 45. When fluid passes from the pipe 9 to the pipe 10, it flows out of the tube, to by-pass the partition 42, and in so doing it expands the member 44 to an extent to define a circumferential passage .46 between the adjacent peripheries of the tube 41 and the member 44. Suitable pressurized fluid is introduced into the housing as a pressure media for acting upon the member 44 to control the size of the passage 46 and thus regulate the rate of flow of the fluid passing therethrough. A fitting 47 is threaded into the opening 18a and connects a supply pipe 48 to the housing whereby fluid is introduced into the housing from a suitable source. If desirable, the pressure within the housing may be automatically controlled for meeting changes in the system, for example, the pipe 48 may be connected to a contained therein. A pipe 51 communicates with the housing and has connected thereto a pressure gauge 52 whereby the pressure within the housing may be readily ascertained. A vent pipe 53, provided with a valve 54, is connected to the pipe 51 whereby fluid within the housing may be vented to reduce the pressure therein and about the member 44 to vary the rate of flow of fluid through the tube 41. Obviously, by varying thepressure within the housing to meet the requirements of the system, the rate of flow of fluid through the member 44 may also be varied to fulfill the requirements, thus providing an automatic control of fluid which passes into the pipe 10. s

It will be noted that the housing may be used in conjunction with the various forms of the invention herein disclosed and when used in connection with those illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, the openings 31a are sealed by means of plugs 31b. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a control device which may be either manually or automatically operated to vary the rate of flow of fluid therethrough and which lends itself to many installations, for example, refrigerating systems.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used cylinder 49 provided with a thermo-. statically operated piston 50 for acting upon the fluid .4 conjointly since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and subcombinations.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined solely to the use herein disclosed in connection therewith as it may be utilized for any purpose to which it is adaptable. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction as illustrated and described, as the same is only illustrative of the principles involved which arecapable of extended application in various forms, and the invention comprehends all construction within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a closed housing provided with a chamber and a pair of spaced conduits communicating with said chamber, a pliable hollow member disposed in said chamber and connected to one of said conduits and having a bore through which fluid passes from said one conduit to the other, control means disposed within said chamber and including a support for said member and an actuator coacting with said support for maintaining the bore of said member constricted, thermostatically adjustablemeans engaging said actuator and operable for varying the relative positions of said support and said actuator whereby to control the rate of flow of fluid from one conduit to the other through said member.

2. In a device of the character described, an elongated closed casing provided with a chamber and a pair of pipes communicating with said chamber through the ends of said casing, respectively, an elongated plate fixed in said chamber between the ends of said casing, a resilient tube disposed between said pipes in said chamber and in engaged relation with said plate, said tube having an end connected to one of said pipes whereby fluid flows through said tube from one of said pipes to the other, a bar having one end slidably connected to said plate, spring means interposed between said bar and plate for urging said bar away from said plate, the other end of said bar having a head engaging said tube in confronting relation to said plate and coacting with said plate to constrict the bore of said tube between said head and plate whereby to control the flow of fluid through said tube, adjusting means carried by said casing and engaging said bar and being adjustable relative to said plate to vary the distance between said head and said plate to regulate the flow of fluid through said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,241,086 Gould May 6, 1941 I 2,387,660 Hall et al Oct. 23, 1945 2,516,029 Swindin July 18, 1950 2,560,634 Colley July 17, 1951 2,590,215 Sausa Mar. 25, 1952 2,735,642 Norman Feb. 21, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,014,791 France June 18, 1952 

